A family members pray to get rid of coronavirus outbreak after a Friday prayers at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore. AP

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

The government of Sindh has directed all citizens to completely isolate themselves for the next three days to help control the spread of the coronavirus as number of confirmed case rose to 238 in the province on Friday.

A health official checks the body temperature of a police woman at the Lahore Railway station. AFP

“Please stay in your homes to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah was quoted as saying while presiding over the coronavirus task force meeting at the CM House in Karachi.

"The real worry is the rising number of local cases," Shah was quoted as saying.

A combination picture shows a general view of Clifton beach in Karachi and after Pakistan shut all its schools and discouraged large gatherings amid an outbreak of coronavirus. Reuters

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Imran Khan has told journalists the government will not censor anything from the public about the spread of COVID-19 in Pakistan and will provide them regular updates.

Imran has ordered opening of the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman, Balochistan, to support Afghan “brothers and sisters.”

In a tweet on Friday, Imran said: “Despite global pandemic of COVID 19, we remain committed to supporting our Afghan brothers & sisters.”

The premier added that he had given instructions to open the border between Chaman and Spin Boldak, Kandahar. He also told authorities to “let trucks crossover into Afghanistan.” “In time of crisis, we remain steadfast with Afghanistan,” he asserted.

Majority of Pakistan’s confirmed cases are pilgrims who returned from Iran through the Taftan crossing while others are with travel history. In Sindh, over 40 patients contracted the diseases locally.

Citizens urged to distribute zakat, not wait for Ramadan

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has urged those eligible to pay zakat, as well as those wishing to give sadqa (alms), to do so as soon as possible and not wait for the Holy Month of Ramadan due to the impact of coronavirus on people's incomes and the economy.

In a notification issued, the CII has called on people to give alms to daily wage workers and labourers, adding that it is better to distribute alms as soon as possible.